ROGER GLEAVES AND RICHARD BECKER: HORRORS IN TOTTENHAM AND ALBANY PRISON

In a disturbing development, notorious child sex offender Roger Gleaves has been placed in a flat adjacent to a primary school and its playground in Tottenham, North London. This residence, situated in a block that offers residents a taxpayer-funded view of a nursery and an adventure playground, has sparked outrage among local residents and officials alike.

Gleaves, who has a long and violent history of abusing children over more than fifty years, was recently housed on the upper floor of this residential block following his latest 15-year prison sentence for raping two 14-year-old boys. His criminal history is extensive, with previous convictions for similar offenses, and he has previously targeted children by masquerading as a social worker and a vicar, even adopting the guise of the “Bishop of Medway” with a dog collar and religious titles from obscure sects such as the Old Catholic Church of Great Britain.

Now aged 84, Gleaves is often seen in Tottenham, where he wears glasses and a trilby hat, and he was caught leering at pupils of Brook House Primary School. When approached by The Sun, he responded with hostility, snarling, “Mind your own f****** business,” and adding, “If I was going to do anything it would have happened by now.” His residence is in a building filled with families, and a resident expressed outrage, stating, “What were they thinking? It is disgusting and sick. If and when families discover there is one of Britain’s worst ever paedophiles living amongst them, there will be a riot. It’s just wrong. This is not the right place for him.”

Gleaves’s method of grooming and abusing children was reportedly simple and predatory. He would patrol around major stations such as Euston, Piccadilly, and Victoria Coach Station at night, often dressed in his religious regalia, seeking out runaways who needed shelter. He operated numerous “children’s hostels,” many of which were actually squats, where he provided minimal facilities—lacking proper toilets and food, with residents often given false ID cards and claims of Department of Health and Social Security funding. His obsession with uniforms led him to sew gold braid and social worker badges onto modified RAF uniforms, furthering his false persona.

Financially, Gleaves was deeply involved in illicit activities. He maintained at least 27 bank accounts, which he used not only for child abuse but also for various scams, including operating under multiple registered charity names and numbers. He exploited the public’s perception that charities are scrutinized by the Charities Commission, even managing to attract high-profile patrons such as an MP and a Lord. His religious titles were from obscure sects, and he used these to lend legitimacy to his scams.

His criminal enterprises extended into fraud and exploitation. He arranged for children aged 14 to work as security guards, with the earnings funneled to him. His network included individuals owed favors, some of whom engaged in violence on his behalf. One notable incident involved Billy “Two Tone,” a friend of a Hackney hostel warden, who was tortured and murdered by rival groups seeking information about the warden’s whereabouts. Despite his violent tendencies, Gleaves received only a four-year sentence for buggery, indecent assaults, and assaults, serving just two years before being released.

Throughout his life, Gleaves continued to manipulate the system, registering false charities, committing social security fraud, and engaging in various forms of criminal activity, including dodgy security work and religious scams. He repeatedly cycled in and out of prison, using his time behind bars to study and acquire legal qualifications. He then launched numerous private prosecutions—over fifty—against anyone who annoyed him, including his barber, earning him the label of a vexatious litigant, which limited his ability to bring legal actions without High Court approval.

In November 2011, Gleaves, then aged 77, made headlines by challenging prison conditions, specifically the practice of “slopping out”—the use of buckets for waste in cells. He claimed this practice violated his human rights, arguing that the conditions were degrading and inhumane. His legal action was supported by another inmate, Richard Becker, 58, who was HIV positive when he attacked one of Gleaves’s victims and was jailed for six years in 1998. Gleaves’s argument centered on the assertion that the sanitation conditions in prisons had not been the case a century ago, and he sought damages of £2,600.

Gleaves’s criminal record includes a 15-year sentence handed down at the Old Bailey in 1998 for his child sex crimes. The judge described him as “a more than ordinary danger to children,” emphasizing the vulnerability of his victims, which included boys with learning difficulties and psychiatric conditions. Gleaves had previously been convicted for offenses against boys and had targeted children with the intent of gaining their trust and that of their families.

His history of deception extended into the realm of security services, where he falsely claimed to run security firms and attempted to recruit young men from hostels and youth centers. His attempts to establish a private security company under aliases such as Adam Smith were marred by allegations of attempting to lure young employees into sexual relationships. He secured contracts with organizations like the British Red Cross and even planned to serve as a bodyguard for boxing promoter Frank Warren, though his true identity was eventually exposed.

Gleaves’s religious affiliations and titles, including his self-styled role as Bishop of Medway, were part of his ongoing efforts to maintain a façade of legitimacy. He was excommunicated from the church he founded with “Archbishop” Illtyd Thomas in 1977, who condemned Gleaves for mocking the church’s principles. Despite this, Gleaves continued to associate with religious groups and maintained a presence in the community, often threatening those who questioned him.

His latest residence in Tottenham, near a primary school, has raised serious concerns about the safety of local children and the community’s ability to protect its vulnerable members. The authorities and residents alike are calling for urgent action to address the risks posed by Gleaves’s presence in such a sensitive location, highlighting the ongoing challenge of managing convicted sex offenders within urban neighborhoods.